In this episode of the groCTO Originals podcast, host Kovid Batra engages in a comprehensive discussion with Geoffrey Teale, the Principal Product Engineer at Upvest, who brings over 25 years of engineering and leadership experience.

The episode begins with Geoffrey's role at Upvest, where he has transitioned from Head of DevEx to Principal Product Engineer, emphasizing a holistic approach to improving both developer experience and engineering standards across the organization. The discussion further delves into the significance of product thinking for internal teams, highlighting the challenges and strategies of building platforms that resonate with developers' needs while competing with external solutions.

Furthermore, Geoffrey offers valuable insights into the decision-making processes, the importance of simplicity in early-phase startups, and the crucial role of documentation in fostering team cohesion and efficient communication.

💡 Highlights

a) Getting Candid

📈 Journey from Head of DevEx to Principal Engineer

🏦 Inside Upvest’s API-powered financial infrastructure model

🎶 Geoffrey’s passions: music, open-source, and eco-friendly tech

b) Key Takeaways

💡 Crafting internal platforms that developers love

🔒 Balancing security, speed, and strict regulations

✍️ Importance of simplicity and clear documentation

🧩 Adapting product thinking to complex engineering challenges

🌍 Weighing platform options: Internal vs External

🛠 Frameworks for better decision-making in engineering

🎧 Full Episode

This episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋

1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.

2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com